Andrew Waltfeld
is a character from the Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny television series. Personality Waltfeld has a brash personality in both terms; he's nice and likeable, but serious when engaged in warfare. When he first met Kira & Cagalli, his personality was more like a know-it-all stranger. But, as it progressed, he changed his personality to that of a strict individual toward his enemies and would kill them on the spot. Later, Waltfeld resumes a commanding role when he captains the FFMH-Y101 Eternal. He is sly, cool headed and dedicated to keeping the peace and preventing war as a member of Terminal. Skill & Abilities Due to his skill and piloting the ground unit in desert, Andrew Waltfeld gained the nickname of "Desert Tiger". As the pilot of the LaGOWE, Waltfeld was well known for the operation of this unit, with his lover Aisha operating as his gunner. However, due to the loss of his left arm and left eye after the destruction of LaGOWE, it can be conjectured that Waltfeld might have lost some proficiency in operating a mobile suit. During the assassination of Lacus Clyne, the former ZAFT commander had improved his handgun skill against the specially trained assassins while also using the shotgun that was concealed in his prosthetic left arm. It can be assumed that Waltfeld eventually regained enough of his former piloting skill, as evidenced by his operation in his custom Murasame and Gaia Gundam. History Background Andrew Waltfeld (A.K.A. Desert Tiger) is one ZAFT's best commanders and pilots. Waltfeld is commander of the ZAFT forces in the PLANT-pledged African Community, headquartered at Banadiya, and is ably assisted by his executive officer Martin DaCosta. Waltfeld earned his fame for his great tactical skill at desert combat, as demonstrated on May 30, CE 70, when he defeated a Eurasian Federation tank corps at El Alamein, using the new TMF/A-802 BuCUE and older TFA-2 ZuOOT mobile suits. His passions are archeology (especially Egyptology), paleontology, and coffee. Waltfeld seems to have an obsession with coffee and experiments with different blends and flavors oftentimes making odd combinations for himself such as adding kona to one of his blends. He lives with his girlfriend-companion, Aisha, who also assists him in his military operations and actually serves as the co-pilot of his orange-colored customized TMF/A-803 LaGOWE. Not much is known about Aisha, and her last name is conspicuously left out in the anime. But the one thing that is evident is that Waltfeld cares for Aisha and the latter is very much devoted to this benevolent ZAFT commander; in both series he keeps a photo of her close by. His flagship is the land battleship Lesseps, which is escorted by the land cruisers Petrie and Henry Carter. First Alliance-PLANT War Desert Dawn When the Archangel was traveling through the desert, He deployed his forces accordingly to deter the Archangel's escape from the desert as long as possible but his plans were marred by the unexpected intervention of reinforcements from Cagalli's Desert Dawn anti-ZAFT guerrilla force. He was also the first ZAFT personnel on Earth to not underestimate the pilot of the Strike Gundam. For example; he chuckled in his calm evaluation of the Strike Gundam's sudden adaptation to the sandy terrain of the desert. Waltfeld inadvertently became acquainted with Kira Yamato, and grew fond of the young pilot, which made the subsequent inevitable confrontation between them more difficult. During his battle with Kira and the Strike, his LaGOWE was summarily destroyed, seemingly killing both Aisha and Waltfeld as they both hugged each other while their unit became engulfed in explosions. Battle of Mendel Luck seemingly befalls Waltfeld when Lowe Guele and his Junk Guild companions discovered and rescued him and he was soon back in the PLANTs. Waltfeld claimed loyalty to Chairman Patrick Zala in the name of vengeance, and was assigned as captain of the support ship Eternal; however, along with Martin DaCosta and other Clyne Faction loyalists, he helped Lacus Clyne to steal the ship and teamed up with the Archangel and Orb's Kusanagi, and despite obviously training for ground battles, he proved himself to be a competent captain of a space ship. Second Alliance-PLANT War After the First Alliance-PLANT War, Waltfeld lives in the Orb Union with Archangel captain Murrue Ramius, who also lost a lover in the war. He receives a prosthetic arm, which conceals a shotgun. Apparently, he was also made Captain in the Orb Union's Military. In CE 73, after the assassination attempt on Lacus, he leaves Orb aboard the Archangel with Kira, Lacus, and Murrue. While Murrue offers him command of the ship, Waltfeld declines, instead serving as a pilot for both Archangel, as well as for his custom MVF-M11C Murasame mobile suit. When Lacus decides to go to the FFMH-Y101 Eternal, Waltfeld goes with her, and the two coordinate with their allies from Terminal's asteroid base. When ZAFT forces discover the location of the FFMH-Y101 Eternal, Waltfeld pilots an custom-colored Gaia Gundam reminiscent of his LaGOWE unit in an attempt to hold off the enemy forces as the FFMH-Y101 Eternal sends off the new Justice and Freedom mobile suit units to Earth. Kira Yamato's timely arrival in Cagalli's Strike Rouge (its PS armor changed to Strike's colors) helps even the odds and promptly gives him the opportunity to tell the young Coordinator to dock with the FFMH-Y101 Eternal and claim his new mobile suit. After regrouping with Kira Yamato, Waltfeld returns to being captain of the FFMH-Y101 Eternal for the duration of the series and leaves the fighting to other units. In the Special Edition ending, Andrew is seen making coffee for Murrue Ramius and Mu La Flaga. Quote Picture Gallery seed_chara_665x731_28.png|Gundam SEED Character Sheet Gundam info Character Sheet Andrew Waltfeld.png|Gundam SEED Destiny Character Sheet Andrew Watfeld info.jpg|Andrew Waltfeld Information Andrew Waltfeld info lineart.jpg|Andrew Waltfeld Information Lineart Andrew and Aisha Illustration.jpg|Andrew Waltfeld and Aisha Illustration AndrewAisha.jpg Waltfeld.png|Waltfeld in his custom pilot suit. Murrue and Andrew.png andrew_waltfeld_0002.jpg|Pilot Suit SD Gundam G Generation Crossrays Andrew watfield.png|''SD Gundam G Generation Crossrays'' WaltfeldCE73BattleDestiny.png WaltfeldCE71BattleDestiny.png Super Robot Wars T Character Face Portrait 404.png|As seen in Super Robot Wars V pilotcutin_andrew_waldfeld_0001.png|As seen in Super Robot Wars X-Ω pilotcutin_andrew_waldfeld_0002.png|As seen in Super Robot Wars X-Ω pilotcutin_andrew_waldfeld_0003.png|As seen in Super Robot Wars X-Ω N.E.T. Waltfeld OP.png Trivia *Waltfeld's name in the original Japanese has also been spelled "Andorew Waldfeld", and because of the pronunciation, his last name has also been interpreted as "Bartfeldt". Waltfeld's fated encounter and battle with Kira Yamato in the desert is reminiscent of Ramba Ral's encounter with Amuro Ray in Mobile Suit Gundam. However, while Ral died not long after meeting Amuro, Waltfeld didn't have the same fate. Instead, he assisted Kira and thus became one of his friends. *Andrew's "Desert Tiger" nickname ("Sabaku no Tora") is most likely a reference to the "Desert Fox" moniker of famed WWII general Erwin Rommel) *Waltfeld once commented on Yzak's scar, stating that: "When one doesn't have a bad scar removed, some might think it's a symbol of... commitment." When Yzak looked away from Waltfield, the latter said "Or since you turned your head maybe it's a symbol of your humiliation." Waltfeld's words reflect his choice to keep his scar in SEED Destiny. Signifying that he is ashamed of living while Aisha died in the battle against an Earth Alliance soldier (Kira), or is committed to making things right (possibly in honor of his beloved Aisha). *In both series, Andrew appears to be quite knowledgeable on coffee and its preparation. *Waltfeld shares similarities to Jeremiah Gottwald in the Code Geass series. Both were initially antagonists aimed at defeating the protagonists and both were nearly killed until both characters actually survived their encounter. Both men also at first sought revenge against the protagonists (Lelouch in Code Geass) but their loyalty towards a friendly faction allowed them to betray their original allegiances and sided with the protagonists in the end. *There has been a strong question on the topic of how survived his battle with Kira Yamato, while in his TMF/A-803 LaGOWE. The last scene of the battle showed him and Aisha hugging each other. To this date it remains a mystery on how he survived the destruction of his Mobile Suit. *Ryotaro Okiayu also voice Treize Khushrenada on Mobile Suit Wing. *In Gundam SEED DESTINY Suit CD Vol. 8's Suit Mini-Drama "Secret Strategy", Andrew is revealed to be a closet fan of Meer Campbell, since he has almost all of the hard-to-find media merchandise in his collection. He shows some of them to Lacus Clyne, but claims that they are for "intelligence-gathering" purposes only. Andrew nonetheless proceeds to teach Lacus some of Meer's dance moves until Kira walks in on them. External links